Preservatory container



WITNESSES:

w. l.. SMITH ET AL PRESEHVATQRY CONTAINER 'llc 9;*1922 ZI-IG. M

` oRNEYs.

Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENTI oFFic-E.

WILSON LAWRENCE SMITH, or cnenLotrfrnsvILLE, AND Geenen fraYLon six/ATH- MEY, Jn., or ALGGNQ'UIN ragen, VIRGINIA,

V1RESIEltVA'IlURY CONTAINER.

Application filed October 9, 1922. Serial, No, 593,192.

To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVILsoN LAWRENCE SMrrHand Geenen TArLon GWATHMEY, J r., citizens of theUnited States, residing, respectively, at Charlottesville, in the county of Albemarle and `State of Virginia, and Algonquin Parli, in the county of Norfolk and A State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Preservatory Containers, whereof the following is a 'speei-.

iicatioii, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.`

Our invention relates generally to containers for preserving food stuffs and the like and more specifically to that type `especially `adapted for preserving food stuffs orbeverages in a hot or cold condition (as the case may be) for several hours at a time. Containers of this class, as ordinarily constructed, are protected against influence of atmospheric temperatures by virtue of being covered either by `an appropriate thickness of thermo-insulating material, for example asbestos wool or saw dust, or by an envelop- `ing jacket `from which the air has been withdrawn or evacuated.

The main object of our invention is to enhance the efficiency of containers of the `character outlined so that liquids congealed by chilling or freezing (of which ice cream may be suggested by `way of example) may `be `effectively maintained in the desired solidified condition for longer periods than `possible by use of preservatory containers heretofore available.` This desideratnm we i secure, in accordance with our invention, by

providing for the maintenance of a suitable `quantity o-f an appropriate preservative `agent in effective proximity tothe contents of the container.

`economy of manufacture, and whose constitnent "parts may be readily "disassembled for M cleaning and for charging both with respect to the substance ormate'rial to be pre- "served and the preserving agent.

How rthese and `other objects, together with attendant advantages, may be secured will become readily apparent from the following-detailed description `of several forms inwhiehour invention is capable of being embodied while its scope is clearly vinanifestd -in thenppended claima- In the drawings, Fig. I is an axial sectional view of a preservatory container conveniently showing our invention in one forni.

F ig. II is an illustration partly in elevation and partly in arial section of a slightly modified form of the container; and

Fig. HI is still another alternative forni of our invention.

Referring first to the form of Fig. I, it will be observed that the structure there shown comprises a receptacle member comprehensively indicated at l, and a cover member similarly designated at 10. The receptacle member 1 is preferably made cylindrical in configuration and consists of an outer casing or shell 2 and an inner casing or shell 3 which is axially disposed within the former, the relative diameters and depths of the two being such as to aord an enveloping jacket 4t about the sides and bottom of a central chamber 5 for storage of the substances or material to be preserved. At its upper end, the outer shell 2 has formed therewith an inwardly turned horizontal flange 6 for abutment against a corresponding ontwardy turned flange 7 of the inner shell 3, the abutting surfaces being soldered or welded in any approved manner to effect hermetical sealing of the jacket 4. After the two constitutent parts of the receptacle member have been assembled and united in the manner just explained, the jacket 4C is exhausted or evacuated fon thermo-insulation so as to be capable of protccting the contents of the storage chamber 5 against the iniiuence of outside or atmospheric temperatures. Such evacuation or exhausting may be effected in accordance with any well-known method. Beyond the fia-nge 7 the inner element or shell 3 of the receptacle member V is extended as shown at 8 in even diameter with that of the outer shell 2, the extension having formed thereon a rolled or pressed thread 9 into which the cover member 10 can be screwed.

Coming now to the cover member, the same, it will be observed, is formed as a hollow structure of cylindrical conguration in correspondence with the receptacle inember l. Like the latter, it is made in two parts of which the one marked 11 constitutes the main element, the saine being formed at its top with a horizontal inwardly turned annular flange l2 and closed by the tomemos element l White Ais in the form of a circular disk with a margin adjacent its periphery overlapping and soldered or welded to the flange aforesaid. rllhe side walls of the cover member 1() have formed upon them rolled threads 14 for cooperation with the threads 9 of the receptacle member 1. rllhe space within the cover member is evacuated for a reason analogous to that described in connection with the jacket lof tie receptacle member.

.as a means for effecting a seal between the receptacle member and the cover member, we have shown at 15, an annular gasket ot a suitable resilient material, said gasket being interposed between the lower face of the cover member 10 and the margin about the mouth of the receptacle member 1 `formed by the laterally turned shoulder flange 7.

ln order` to provide for the maintenance of a suitable Quantity of a preservative agent in effective proximity to the contents of the receptacle 1. we have supplemented the receptacle structure with a holder 1G which is preferably incorporated as a part of the cover member 10 but in the instance shown is made so as to be removable for ready charging and cleaning. rllhis holder 1G Vis in the form of a cup, cylindrical in form and ot such diameter as to be accommodated with slight clearance within the mouth of the storage chamber when the cover member 10 screwed on to the receptacle 1. The holder 16 is held in place by means of a screw 17 headed at 18 and adapted to engage a nut 19. Said nut 19 has a reduc .d portion 2O which projects through a central opening in 'the horir/.ontal portion of the member 1e'v of the cover. The shoulder 91 of the nut is soldered against the horizontal portion of the cover element 1-5t so as to be held against rotation and to secure an air tight seal at this juncture. The head 18 of the screw 17 is similarly secured to 'the bottom portion of the holder 1G so as to be permanently attached thereto. Sealing of the holder 1G after the same has been charged is effected through the medium of an annular gasket 22 whose diameter is somewhat less than the internal diameter of the gasket 15 aforementioned, and which is compressed between the lower face of the cover member 10 and an annular marginal shoulder formed about the top of said holder. By reason of the construction just described, the -holder 16 becomes virtually an axial prolongation or projection of the cover member 10 which in the assembly of the structure, occupies a portion of the storage chamber 5 and by virtue of its position, the preservative agent is disposed in elfective proximity to the contents of said chamber. Thus for example in the case of preserving ice cream or other congealed fluid, the holder 16 may be charged either with chilled brine or with a mixture of cracked ice and rock salt. ln this way the cream may be maintained in a solidified condition for a considerable pcriod of time in excess of that possible in the absence of the preservative agent. In order to obviate ditliculties in the removal of such congealed substances, we prefer to provide a separate removable inner vessel Q3, either of sheet metal or glass, said vessel being of a diameter conveniently accomn'iodated within the interior of the storage chamber rlhe bottom of the vessel has a central opening 211 which is ordinarily covered by a replaceable false bottom 25. l/Jhen the vessel 23 is withdrawn from the receptacle for removal of the contents, the latter act may be accomplished simply and quickly by pressure upon the false bottom 25 by use of any suitable instrument capable of being introduced through the central opening 24. If desired, the cover member 10 may be provided with a handle F25 useful both in carrying the container and in effecting removal of the cover.

rllhe structure shown in Fig. 11 is generally similar to the form just described and similar reference numerals designate the parts which are identical. rlhe difference between the two resides in the specific construction of the cover member 10 and the holder 16 for the preservative agent. 1n the present instance, the main portion or section 11 of the cover member 10 is formed with an axial projection 30, the upper end of which is closed by a diaphragm 31 soldered or otherwise secured thereby setting apart the interior of the projection 30 from the hollow portion of the cover proper and affording a recess for the nut 19 for engageing the screw 1'? on the holder 16. The holder 16 in this case is proportioned so as to Et over the projection 30 and has an outwardly extended flange 32 for engagement against the sealing gasket 22.

Referring now to the last modification shown in Fig. IH, the holder 1G for the preservative agent is here made as an integral part of the portion 14E of the cover member 10 and is set apart as a subdivision by a diaphram 33. The cup is made accessible by way of an axial tubular extension 34: of the diaphragm 33 which extends through a central opening in the recessed portion 35 of the top piece 36 of the cover. A stopper 37 of any suitable material may be employed as a closure for the tube 311. The upright peripheral flange portion 38 of the top piece 35 of the cover member may be corrugated or serrated for firm gripping in facilitation of the removal of the cover.

In containers of large capacity say a gallon or more, in order to avoid undue strain at the juncture between the two component parts of the receptacle member 1 and to secure greater stability and rigidity of the latter, we may employ a bracing member, such as indicated in dotted lines at 40 in Fig. I of the drawings. This member may be made of Iany appropriate materia-l low in thermal conductivity and may take any form suitable to the purpose. In the example shown, it comprises an annular flanged portion il capable of receiving the lower end of the inner casing member 3 and a number of extremities reaching outwardly and downwardly to engage the bottom of the outer `shell Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a preservatory container, for food stuffs and beverages, the combination of a.

cylindrical vreceptacle constructed of sheetY metal with an evacuated jacket enveloping a chamber" for the substance to be preserved, said receptacle having a rolled screwthreaded prolongation of a diameter even with that of the outside of said receptacle beyond the open end of the latter, a hollow cover therefor formed at its top with a horizontal inwardly turned annular flange, a covering disk therefor, a cylindrical preservative holder having a horizontally directed flange for coeoperation with the bottom of the cover, and means for removably connecting said holder concentrically to the base of the cover.

2. In a preservatory container for food stuffs and beverages of the character described, a hollow cover formed at its top with a horizontal inwardly turned annular flange, a covering d'isk therefor, a cylindri cal preservative holder having a horizontally directed flange for cooperation 4with the bottom of the cover, and means for removably connecting said holder concentrically to the base of the cover.

3. In a preservatory container for food stuffs and beverages of the type described, a hollow cover formed at its top with a horizontal inwardly turned annular flange, a covering'disk therefor, a cylindrical preservative holder having a horizontally directed flange for cooperation with the bottom of the cover, means insuring a fluid tight seal between said cover and holder, and means for removably connecting' said holder concentrically to the base of the cover.

4;. In a preservatory container for food stuffs and beverages of the class described, a hollow cover formed at its top with a hori zontal inwardly 4trrned annular flange, a circular covering disk therefor having a marginal overlap secured to the peripheral edge of said annular flange, a cylindric preservative holder having a horizontally directed flange for cooperation with the bottom of the cover, means insuring a fluid tight joint between the cover and holder, and means for removably connecting said `holder concentrically to the base of the cover.

5. In a preservatory container for food stuffs and beverages of the class described, a hollow cover formed at its top with a horizontal inwardly turned annular flange, a circular covering disk therefor having a marginal overlap secured to the peripheral edge of said annular flange, a cylindric preservative holder having a horizontally directed flange for cooperation with the bottom of the cover, means insuring a fluid tight joint between the cover and holder, and means for removably connecting the holder to the bottom of the cover, said means comprising a shouldered nut bedded in the base of the cover and a headed screw cooperative therewith axially passed inwardly through the preservative holder.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names at Charlottesville, Va., this fourth day of October 1922.

WILSON LAWRENCE SMITH. GEORGE TAYLOE GWATHMEY, Jr. Witnesses:

N. T. SHUMATE, GEOVE. S'rnrHnNs.

GIS 

